Vis-à-Vis with history
LOUIS VUITTON HAS ALWAYS PRIDED ITSELF ON ITS HERITAGE. THROUGH THE TIME CAPSULE EXHIBITION, WE CAME FACE TO FACE WITH IT
Time capsules give us a direct link to the marvels of days gone by. That’s why it’s always an exciting time when one of these caches is dug up and opened. And that’s why, when the news broke out that Louis Vuitton’s famed Time Capsule exhibition would come to Jakarta, anticipation ran high.
Lines like “inspired by a vintage model” or “based on designs in the brand’s archives” are often seen in descriptions for new Louis Vuitton pieces; mentions of the brand’s heritage of travel also pops up regularly. The Time Capsule allows us to come face to face with those “vintage models” and “designs from the archives” as for the Jakarta event—which ran from october 23 to november 11, 2018—actual pieces from Louis Vuitton’s archives were flown in from paris.
flying in museum pieces from half across the world is no small feat. Just imagine: every vintage Louis Vuitton trunk has to be shipped in a climate-controlled container, then meticulously transferred to a similarly regulated display at the exhibit location.
more importantly, as we learned later on, this was one of the biggest Louis Vuitton Time Capsule exhibition ever held. if anything, it certainly highlighted how indonesia has become a major consideration for the storied parisian luxury house. And for sure, Time Capsule exhibition Jakarta set the bar pretty darn high...
“It felt like an actual Time Capsule: You open it and out comes stories of invention, of stepping into new era after new era, of timeless designs”
The Capsule
The Jakarta edition of Louis Vuitton’s Time Capsule exhibit was held at the senayan City shopping center. speaking of which, most visitors heading to the exhibition might first stumble on the accompanying pop-up store, which, of course, carried more recent collections, offered personalization services and so on. A short distance away was the time capsule.
while the theme of the Time Capsule exhibit centered on Louis Vuitton’s heritage, the exhibition venue had a strong futuristic vibe to it with its minimalist design and clean lines. And being a purpose-built stainless steel structure, it certainly didn’t look like a temporary venue.
After entering, visitors are then guided through six segments:
first up was the Artisan’s room. As the name implies, this room allows visitors to witness a Louis Vuitton artisan doing what they do best. it certainly drives home the notion that the best Louis Vuitton pieces are, indeed, handcrafted. This is, in short, where the magic happens.
The next chamber is The Key to the Codes. here visitors are presented with a timeline of key moments in the history of Louis Vuitton and the continual reinvention of the maison’s distinctive design codes. here the visitor was presented with historic pieces and how their signature elements lived on in contemporary lines. These include some very early trunks and unique pieces like the legendary bed Trunk that was created for italian explorer pierre savorgnan brazza, and was put on display alongside a modern interpretation: a bed that could be folded into a backpack.
moving on, the tour continued with Journeys Around the world, which showcased Louis Vuitton’s answer to the evolution of travel. The wardrobe Trunk, for instance, harked back to an age when journeys by sea could take months. The Car Trunk, on the other hand, showcased how the maison anticipated the popularity of automobiles while the Aéro Trunk heralded the age of air travel.
This theme of travel continues in the aptly named elegance in motion, which contained custom-made pieces for connoisseurs who are always in motion and do so elegantly. There are cases for whiskey or perfume bottles, bags for grooming implements and, quite notably, a trunk meant for a watch collector with an expansive compilation of fine timepieces.
Returning the focus to the maison itself, icons of the house presented some of Louis Vuitton’s most emblematic creation. remember last year’s Louis Vuitton x supreme boîte skateboard trunk? yes, that one was on display as well.
finally, visitors are brought to magic malle for a truly magical last moment in the Time Capsule. The centerpiece of the room is a classic Louis Vuitton trunk—malle in french—surrounded by a wall-to-wall display chronicling the visual and creative world of the house.
The Wrap Up
Today, looking back at photos of the exhibition and social media posts chronicling how it was disassembled, it’s hard not to feel a bit melancholic. it was, for sure, one of the most notable exhibitions of the year. more importantly, it felt like an actual Time Capsule: you open it and out comes a hundred stories—stories of invention, of stepping into new era after new era, of designs that are truly and literally timeless.
so, now, the capsule has been wrapped up again, to be sent to other cities, other crowds. perhaps one day, it will return and Louis Vuitton will once again tell its story.